Ireland has the strongest passport in the world, according to the Nomad Passport Index 2025.
It’s the first time that the northern European country has held the solo No. 1 spot in the annual ranking from Nomad Capitalist, a tax and immigration consultancy. Ireland did, however, come close in 2020, when it tied for the top spot alongside Luxembourg and Sweden.
“Ireland shook up the rankings, thanks to the country’s strong international reputation, business-friendly tax policies, and overall citizenship flexibility,” the company’s research associate Javier Correa told CNBC Travel.
Unlike other rankings, which often evaluate passports based solely on their visa-free travel strength, Nomad Capitalist’s ranking analyzes five criteria:
- Visa-free travel — 50%
- Taxation — 20%
- Global perception — 10%
- Ability to hold dual citizenship — 10%
- Personal freedom (freedom of the press, mandatory military service, etc.) — 10%
Those factors allow people considering a different, or additional, passport to better understand the “true value” of citizenships around the world, and ultimately to “go where they’re treated best,” according to the index.
The passport ranking
The ninth edition of the list ranks 199 countries and territories using 20 sources, such as country tax authorities for tax rankings, and the World Happiness Report and the United Nations’ Human Development Index for perception rankings, according to the index.
Scores range from 10 to 50, except for the visa category, which is the number of countries that passport holders can enter without needing a visa.
Here’s the list from first to 49th place:
European countries hold nine of the top 10 spots, from the perennial powerhouse of Switzerland to the small nations of Luxembourg and Malta.
The highest ranked passports outside of Europe are the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand, which are both tied for 10th place.
The complete list can be viewed at Nomad Capitalist’s website.
Greece rises, UAE falls
Greece (tied for 2nd), Slovenia (tied for 13th) and Spain (tied for 32nd) rose in the 2025 rankings, fueled by changes to each countries’ tax scores.
“In a turbulent year marked by shifting geopolitics and policy upheaval, Greece surged dramatically from sixth into joint second with Switzerland, reflecting its growing credibility among high-net-worth individuals, retirees, and global investors,” according to a press release announcing the ranking.
However, other countries — including Lithuania, Netherlands, Germany and Hungary — moved down the ranking. Notably, the UAE — which was No. 1 in 2023 and tied for No. 6 in 2024 — moved to 10th place in 2025.
“Recently introduced taxes … have tarnished [the UAE’s] allure for global entrepreneurs,” the release stated.
Countries which top other lists — like Singapore and Japan — rank lower in Nomad Capitalist’s list. Both score low for dual citizenship, which is restricted in Japan and not recognized in Singapore. Japan is also dinged in the taxation category, while Singapore has lukewarm scores for personal freedoms.
Singapore ranked 126 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index and requires male citizens and permanent residents to serve approximately two years in the military when they turn 18 years old. The island nation, however, has top scores for “perception.”
The weakest passports on the list, ranked from 195 to 199, are Pakistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Yemen and Afghanistan.
— CNBC’s Bella Stoddart contributed to this report.
